Toy.



J. W. YOUNG.

TOY.

APPLICAHON FILED JAN-4. 1916.

1,209.92. Patented. Dec. 26,1916.

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JOHN W. YOUNG, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNGR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES H. MORGAN, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a specification.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an unstable toy, which, when placed upon an inclined plane surface, will by gravity alone, or by gravity assisted by slight vibration of said surface, descend therealong with a series of irregular rocking movements.

Other objects will appear in connection with the following description.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in front elevation of my improved toy supported upon a plane surface. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same taken on the broken line 3-3 in Fig. 1. v

Referring .to the drawings wherein the invention is shown in preferred form, 1 represents the base of the toy which is made unstable by beveling or rounding the bottom of the base as at, 2. The base is provided with a recess, 3, opening through its bottom, which recess is preferably downwardly flared and is adapted to loosely contain a ball 4:. The upper portion of the recess is preferably so formed as to prevent the escape of the ball therethrough; and the dimensions of the recess are preferably such that when the ball and base bear upon a common plane surface, the ball is wholly contained within the recess and rests upon said surface by its own weight independently of the weight of the base.

An upright form or figure, 5, is erected from the base preferably by attaching the lower end of the form to one side of the base by a tack, 6, or other suitable means. By thus employing a tack, 6, of suitable length driven through the form and base into the recess, 3, the end, 7, of the tack can be made to reduce the diameter of the bottom opening of the recess to less than the diameter of the ball, 4, thus preventing the ball from dropping out of the recess when the toy is removed from a supporting surface, while leaving the ball free for its intended movement in operating the toy. The upright form or figure, 5, preferably bears the [representation of a human being made up as a comedian.

In operating the toy, it is placed upon a piece of board or pasteboard, 8, or the like, which is gradually inclined until the figure gradually descends the same, and it will thus descend with an irregular rocking movement causing the upright figure to have much the appearance and exaggerated humorous movements of a comedian. The ball having great mobility, continuously tends to force the base of the toy downwardly along the inclined surface, but the base of the toy, while unstable, has less mobility than the ball, due to the fact that it slides along the inclined surface, whereas the ball rolls therealong. The result is that the friction which tends to retard the downward sliding movement of the base, is intermittently overcome by the weight of the ball so that the toy advances with a peculiar movement which contributes largely to the entertaining character of the toy.

The base, 1, is preferably made of wood, the ball, 4, of steel, and the form, 5, of printed cardboard, but various other suitable materials may be employed for the respective parts.

I prefer the representation of the comedian to show a hand, 9, exposed to view and the form to be provided with a perforation, 10, adj acent thereto through which perforations is loosely inserted a hook-end, 11, of a piece of wire, 12, which is thereby pendulously supported so as to freely swing in different directions as the toy descends the inclined surface, giving to the figure the appearance of a comedian walking and swinging a cane in a humorous manner.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A toy having an unstable base provided with a recess opening through the bottom of the base; a ball loosely contained within said recess in the base with capacity for independent vertical movement, whereby said ball and base are adapted to bear upon a a common plain surface, each by its own weight only.

2. A toy having an unstable base; an upright form erected from said base, said form bearing the representation of a human figure with a hand exposed to view and being provided with an aperture adjacent to said hand; and a pendulous wire having a hookend loosely engaging said aperture.

3. A toy having an unstable base provided with a recess opening through the bottom of the base; a ball loosely contained Within said recess engageable with a surface over which said base is adapted to move; an upright form attached to one side of said base, said form bearing the representation of a human figure with a hand exposed to view and being provided with an aperture adj acent to said hand; and a pendulous Wire having a hook-end loosely engaging said aperture.

4. A toy having an unstable base provided with a downwardly flaring recess opening through the bottom of the base; a ball loosely contained within said recess; an upright form attached to one side of the base, and a tack driven through said form and the base into said recess near the bottom opening thereof, the end of said tack reducing the diameter of said bottom opening to less than the diameter of the ball.

- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of December, 1915.

,JOHN W. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

